Jewelry on the brain

 


If you follow my blog, you would know every now and then I like to share with you some of the wacky things that get made at my day job. I think I'll start calling it 'day job discoveries'...

So here's another one for ya! This is a custom necklace, 22k yellow, vintage diamonds. Kinda looks like a brain doesn't it?? The customer made the pendant using CAD and when I first saw the file, I was a little scared. But after it was all set and polished, it actually looks pretty awesome. I would totally wear this especially with its longer chain length. Way to go customer! You designed something not so ugly which is very rare at my company.

Lifecycle of a bead

As you know, I've been fiddling around with some CAD modeling and have been using it to create some pieces for the new collection. Like a proud parent, I wanted to share with you the birth of one of my bead designs:

Sketches & thoughts

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been developing a new collection for this Fall/Winter. It's been a slow process. A lot slower than I want. 

Sometimes I wish I had the time to crank out a collection for every season like the big fashion houses, but I have to remind myself that I'm only one person. 

Sometimes I freak out and worry time is passing me by and I need to make things happen NOW, but I have to remind myself, I'm only one, still very young person. 

Sometimes I want to quit my day job and concentrate fully on this 'jewelry company' thing, but I have to remember, I'm only one person, and it will be ok because one day, soon, I WILL get there. Since I'm only one person, I have to take small steps, but I'm focusing on making each of those small steps the fullest and greatest steps. Soon, those small steps will amount to big things. 

I've been using this 'small steps' philosophy as inspiration for my new collection which I'll be sharing with you oh so soon! Below are some sketches I've been working on for the new collection's 'logo' (for lack of a better word). Can't wait to show you more!

Attention! Attention!

Look familiar?! Last time you saw these suckers, they were in wax. Here they are in their metal forms, and soon they will join others to form a new collection! Stay tuned for sneak peeks at the others. Hope you have a Happy Monday!

Rain, rain go away

It's been raining like crazy here in Chicago. I took a quick pic during a break in the storm. For you all out of towners, that's Trump Tower masked in fog .

Digital absence

I know it's been very quiet on the blogging front here. Sorry about that. I've been engrossed in a new toy lately and my brain's computing power keeps getting depleted by it daily. I want to blog...but...brain...is...going...brain...dead...can't...think...of...post...

So I figured why not post my toy?!

Taaaa daaaaa! Thanks to a lovely friend, I now own one of the coooolest computer programs out there, Matrix. It doesn't look like much, but this baby can make jewelry like nobody's business. I learned the the program back when I was studying at GIA, but it's been at least 2 years since then so I'm a bit rusty. I'm hoping to fine tune my skills and become a jewelry CAD-ing master! 

I really feel learning this program will open up so many opportunities in my work life and hopefully help me in my own jewelry designs. We'll see! I'll be sure to continue sharing my progression with this new toy and of course, my wax carvings. Even though building jewelry on a computer is pretty freakin' awesome, it will never replace the joy of feeling that file against that buttery wax. 

Building on a motif

Here's another ring I've got going on...I think I've got an obsession: graduating shapes that repeat themselves. I just can't stop making them!